Ashes of the Mind
by Ice Queen1
Summary: When a misunderstanding leads to young Aragorn's imprisonment with a human family, the only ones who can save him don't know where he is.
1. Should've Listened to Ada

This is my first attempt at writing in the _Lord of the Rings_ universe, so if you see any extreme problems with the facts of Tolkien's world, notes would be welcome. Also, I'm a nitpick, but I don't always catch all of my own mistakes. If you see something wrong, please tell me in a review. Also, I am following Cassia and Siobhan's lead about how Aragorn grew up in Rivendell as an adopted son of Elrond, with the twins as his brothers and no knowledge of Arwen. Anyway, comments are welcome, just be constructive. J This is mostly movie-verse, meaning no, I have not finished the books. Working on it though!

Ooo! One more thing. I refer to Aragorn by his rightful name, but if I read the appendixes correctly, he doesn't know his real name or destiny until he's somewhere around twenty. So when he introduces himself, it will be as Estel, his Elvish name. 

Aragorn watched the men with interest, his silver eyes following them in their rather clumsy trek through the borders of Imladris. They were so much louder than his family. How did they ever catch anything? It was no small wonder in the twelve-year-old's mind. They had not noticed they were being followed, nor could they feel his eyes watching them with interest from the treetops. It was the first time he had seen humans, his own kind, this close to Rivendell's borders. 

Aragorn stepped lightly across two large overlapping branches and scurried to the next tree, as silent as a shadow. After watching his twin brothers, Elladan and Elrohir, Aragorn had become admiringly well adept at tree climbing. Of course, he still couldn't walk on top of the snow unless it was coated in ice, it was his next goal. He was determined to be like his brothers.  Except the ears of course. Aragorn could never really figure out how to attain the delicate points that marked the Elven race. 

He used the bulk of the large tree's trunk to hide himself from the hunters while they suddenly stopped in the middle of their trek. He wasn't supposed to be out here, not without his brothers or at least another adult. His father, Lord Elrond, had warned him many times not to venture out too far on his own. A wise decision, considering Elrond's youngest ability to get into trouble. Aragorn argued repeatedly he didn't _look _for trouble, but trouble looked for _him_. It wasn't his fault. An impish grin stole over his face: just because the rules existed, it did not necessarily mean he followed them. 

The men were speaking loudly to one another, and Aragorn could follow their conversation well enough, though he spoke better Sindarin than Common. 

"Think we'll have any problems with the Elves, Kendak?" one of the younger hunters asked. They were setting up camp near the borders of Rivendell, one of the last three realms of the Elves. While it looked inviting enough, the young man couldn't shake the feeling they were being watched. 

"Elrond's people are nice enough to humans, just don't do something stupid, and you'll be fine," the older man replied. He was busy scouting around for dry wood for the fire. 

Several others, totaling the number of the party at five, were setting up the tents away from the large roots of the trees. 

"Yeah, Tyn, only ones we have to worry about are Orcs," another man remarked. 

"Orcs are around here?" Tyn said, his eyes growing large. 

Aragorn had to smother his snickering with his hand at the youth's naivety. 

"Ignore them Tyn," Kendak answered, throwing a warning glare at the others. "Orcs don't come anywhere near Lord Elrond's borders. They know better."

"I didn't think orcs were scared of Elves," Tyn said, raising an eyebrow. He rolled out his bedroll near to the fire so he could keep an eye on the flames during the night. 

"Not usually, no. But Elrond's sons ride with the rangers," another, middle-aged man answered. He pounded the last stake into the ground, looping the rope from top of the tent to it. 

"Scary bunch, them rangers. Ain't human if you ask me," another older, grizzled hunter replied. 

"Well, no one did, now did they, Dabryn?" the other man replied. 

"Whelp," Dabryn accused. 

"True," the other admitted. 

"Dabryn, Corbin, knock it off," the last man said. This man struck Aragorn as out of place amongst the other hunters, who seemed genial and bickered amongst each other like he and his brothers at home. This one had sharp edged features, and dark, dangerous eyes. He seemed like the true predator out of the other four.

"Lighten up, Rhoran. Just playing," Dabryn placated. 

"I'll lighten up when we're out of here. This forest has eyes. It's watching us." Rhoran looked to the treetops as though to prove to himself the forest really did have eyes watching the back of his head. 

Aragorn immediately ducked behind the tree trunk before the cruel looking man spotted him. 

"You're imagining things. Tomorrow we'll be out of reach of the forest, so stop worrying. Rest while you can," the older man, and apparently the leader, Kendak said. He threw bedroll at Rhoran, who deftly caught it without even looking. 

Aragorn had made up his mind that he didn't want to be seen by these men. If the one named Rhoran hadn't been with them, he wouldn't have minded introducing himself. His father would have a fit if he knew, but what Lord Elrond didn't know, didn't hurt him. Aragorn settled down in the crook of a large branch where he would not have to worry about falling out should he fall asleep as he waited for the hunters to nod off. 

What seemed like hours later, all the hunters seemed to have fallen into a true, deep sleep. For awhile, every few minutes or so Rhoran would suddenly shift in his sleep and crack an eye open, before rolling over and falling back asleep. 

Aragorn watched him carefully for a few minutes, making sure he was truly asleep. When he didn't move again, Aragorn began climbing down the large tree, not willing to risk a broken neck trying to leave the same way he had followed the men. 

His booted feet hit the ground with a muted thud, and he froze, making sure that no one had heard the soft sound. He almost laughed to himself. He was used to sneaking around Imladris, home of the super-hearing powered Elves. He would be fine. He stood and turned to go when he found himself turning back to watch the hunters. This was the first time since his mother and father had been murdered he had seen humans up close. A sudden pang of loneliness struck his heart. Aragorn was used to be different…and very much alone. He couldn't help but want to see them up close. 

Silently, he crept up to the fire ring, swearing mentally to himself that this was most likely one of the dumbest things he had ever done, but he wanted to be reminded that there was someone else out there like him. 

The older man, Dabryn, snorted as he shifted in his sleep. Aragorn froze, holding his breath. If the man woke, the boy was sure he could make it back into the safety of the dark forest. But the man simply shifted positions and rolled facing the fire. 

When he had stopped moving and his breathing returned to normal, Aragorn crept closer. The one he most wanted to see was the youngest hunter, the one named Tyn. He couldn't have been much older than Aragorn himself, judging by the roundness of his features associated with youth. With Elves, no matter how much they looked like him in age, they were always decades his senior and for a twelve-year-old boy, it was infuriating to no end. 

He was now only a few inches away from the older boy, and he could see the likenesses between them clearly now. Both their features were more rounded, mostly owing to age rather than race, and their faces had similar dimensions. What fascinated him most were the boy's rounded ears. His own hand traced the rounded edge of his own ear, a trace of a smile gracing his small face. He lifted his other hand to ghost over the boy's ear, almost touching but not quite. Aragorn knew how not to get caught. 

However, though he might know how not to get caught, he was amongst predators, whose job it was to prey upon others. 

***

Tyn's eyes suddenly shot open, something causing him to wake, but not entirely sure what. He heard a small gasp and blinked the sleep from his eyes, only to come face to face with a small boy not a foot from him. 

"Hey, what are-" Tyn started, but the boy had already leapt to his feet, jumping back a step only to trod on Corbin's sleeping form. 

"Hey, what the hell is wrong with…you?" Corbin grumbled, rubbing his eyes. His complaint trailed off when he saw a terrified young stranger backing hastily away from him. 

"Wait, we're not going to hurt you!" Tyn protested, throwing off his blankets. 

The boy apparently didn't hear him or didn't understand. He turned to run towards the trees but found himself running smack into the enormous Rhoran. 

"Well, what do we have here?" Rhoran sneered. "A thief? Come to steal our money while we were asleep? Or maybe you planned on slitting our throats?"

The boy's eyes widened, stumbling back but tripping over the blankets that caught around his feet and fell on his back. 

"_Saes!_" he shouted, drawing his legs up and covering his head with his hands. 

"Rhoran!" Corbin commanded. "Knock it off."

"Yeah, he's just a kid," Tyn said defensively. 

"Even small ones can be dangerous," Rhoran hissed. He reached down and grabbed the boy by his collar, lifting him off the ground until they were face to face. Well, almost. The boy still had his hands held protectively around himself. "Hey, runt. Look at me when I'm talking to you. Who are you?" When the boy didn't immediately respond, Rhoran gave him a rough shake that rattled the poor child's teeth.

"Who are you?" Rhoran demanded again. 

This time, the boy responded, but with a swift kick to the man's unprotected groin. 

The man dropped the boy, doubling over in pain as he gasped for air. 

With a smug grin of victory, the boy made a mad dash for woods, almost making the tree line before Kendak grabbed him, his arm snaking its way around the boy's neck in a submission hold. 

"Now then, kid, we're not going to hurt you," Kendak said slowly and carefully. The boy continued to struggle in the hunter's arm. When the hold around his neck didn't loosen, the boy started to panic, clawing at the arm that was cutting off his air supply. 

"Just calm down!" Kendak ordered when he realized his prisoner was just thrashing more wildly. He tightened his grip. 

The boy's movements were slowing down, his attempts to free himself weakening. His silver eyes rolled to the back of his head, and his arms dropped limply to his sides. 

"You killed him!" Tyn exclaimed, rushing to the boy's side as Kendak laid the boy out on the ground. 

"No, I didn't. See? He's still breathing. Just made sure he would stay put. I want to know what the hell he was doing in our camp," Kendak said. 

"Maybe he's just lost," Corbin suggested. 

"Maybe. Maybe not. How's Rhoran?"

"Nothing damaged but his pride," Dabryn answered, having woken in the middle of the struggle and was now seeing to the large hunter. 

Kendak looked back down at the unconscious boy. "Tie him up. We'll question him when he wakes up. I don't want him running off before then."

"But…" Tyn started to protest. 

"But nothing. Move him closer to the fire, if you want. But see that he's not going anywhere," Kendak ordered. He moved back to his bedroll and pulled the blanket up over himself. Soon, he was fast asleep. 

Tyn glared at the older hunter, but held his tongue and did as he was told. Corbin helped him move the stranger closer to the fire so that they could keep an eye on him. 

As the others slowly drifted off again, Tyn found himself unable to sleep. The only thing that stuck out clearly in his mind was the look on the boy's face when he had woken up. It looked so sad, as though something precious or important had suddenly been lost to him. 

Ok, end part one. Like? Hate? Drop me a line to let me no. And please, if you're going flame me, spell all your words correctly. Don't use techno-abbreviations. Also, let me know if Aragorn seems horribly out of character. 


	2. Mistruths

The next morning came silently, just as Aragorn had hoped. From what he could figure, he'd only been unconscious for a few hours, which meant the hunters would be waking soon. He rolled over so that his back was now facing the dying embers of last night's fire, but more importantly, the sharp-edged rocks that made up the fire ring. The boy rubbed the rope binding his hands stiffly together frantically against the rock's edge, feeling the threads snap and come loose. 

The young man, a boy really, not much older than himself, before him shifted in his sleep, rubbing his eyes briefly before lying still. His hand was still flopped across his eyes. 

Aragorn froze in his frenetic attempts to escape, making sure the boy was really asleep before trying the ropes again. A few more strands frayed and broke, but it was still going too slow for Aragorn's liking. He sighed in frustration, the sound muffled by the wadded up piece of cloth in his mouth that served as a gag. 

What was worst of all about the whole situation was that he had no idea what prompted the attack and subsequent imprisonment. It was true, living amongst the Elves of Imladris he had encountered a total number of about zero (rounded of course) humans, but he was pretty sure that this wasn't a normal for any species except Orcs. He supposed humans were better than Orcs, if one was to be kidnapped, but still…Aragorn was so wrapped up in his mental wanderings that he had yet to notice that the other boy was wide awake and watching him surreptitiously from underneath his hand. 

Tyn watched the stranger for a few moments, debating whether or not he was, one: a threat, or two: if he should let him go. 

The strange boy seemed to sense eyes on him and stilled his movements, his silver eyes darting about looking for the source. His gaze finally settled on Tyn, and his eyes widened more, if that were at all possible. 

Realizing his game was up, Tyn removed his arm from over his eyes and sat up, turning to face the boy who shifted onto his back. Whether it was to keep an eye on the other boy or an effort to show submission, Tyn was unsure. 

"It's ok, kid…" he said softly so as not to wake the others. 

The boy gave him an incredulous look, his expressive eyes clearly stating, "_Yeah, maybe from _your_ point of view_."

Tyn chuckled. "If you promise not to yell, I'll take the gag off."

The stranger readily nodded, tilting his head up so Tyn could reach around the back of his head to pull the rolled piece of cloth down around the other boy's neck. Once removed, Tyn leaned back on his heels, studying over the small boy. 

His dark brown hair was about shoulder length, and the youthful roundness in his face suggested he was very young, perhaps eleven or twelve at the oldest. However, his silver eyes seem to contradict his apparent years. They were almost sad eyes, Tyn thought curiously. _What would a boy like him have to be sad about_? Terror, worry…even anger was understandable under the circumstances. 

"What's your name?" Tyn asked as the boy worked his jaw after being released from the gag. 

"Estel," the stranger replied warily, sitting upright but keeping his gaze riveted on Tyn. "Who are you?"

"My name is Tyn," he introduced. He held out his hand for the other boy but suddenly realized with a flash of embarrassment that Estel's hands were still tied behind his back. "Sorry…" he mumbled, glancing down at the ground. 

"Let me go," Estel said, his eyes pleading with the teenager. 

"I can't…I'm sorry, but I can't. Kendak wouldn't like it," Tyn said, as though what Kendak said mattered to the boy named Estel. 

The boy slumped and muttered something in a different language. It hadn't occurred to Tyn until now that there was an accent lacing Estel's voice, but he couldn't place it. 

"Where are you from?" Tyn asked, trying to keep Estel talking. If he could figure out what Estel intended by sneaking around the camp last night, Kendak would be more willing to let him go. 

"Rivendell."

Tyn laughed, thinking that the boy meant that was where he was coming from, not where he lived. Obviously, it was the wrong thing to say as Estel suddenly drew his legs up and shot them into Tyn's chest, knocking him over backwards with a yelp of pain and surprise. 

Immediately, the camp was awake. Having heard their young companions cry of pain and seeing the angry stranger awake and sitting up and glaring hatefully at Tyn, they assumed the worst had happened. 

"No, wait!" Tyn protested as Rhoran dealt the boy a forceful blow to the back of the head, knocking the boy's senses for a loop. 

Unable to ward off the attack with his arms bound behind him, Estel could do little more than cringe away from the blow. Rhoran either didn't hear Tyn's protest or didn't care as he kicked Estel in the leg for good measure. The second blow, though just as painful as the first, did not even elicit a cry of pain from the stranger, but instead all Estel did was bite down hard on his lip. 

"Rhoran! Knock it off!" Corbin shouted, jumping up in the boy's defense. The second largest of the group shoved Rhoran angrily away from the boy, standing now between the enormous hunter and the cowering boy. 

"He didn't mean it!" Tyn protested. "I laughed at something he said and I guess it made him angry. He was just defending himself."

"He still attacked you," Rhoran stated. 

"Yeah, but I picked the fight," Tyn replied. 

"Listen to Tyn, Rhoran…" Corbin demanded. "Leave the poor kid alone, he's already scared half to death."

Both hunters risked a glance down at the boy, who was curled in on himself, his eyes tightly shut as he muttered something unintelligible under his breath. 

"Calm?" Corbin asked, relaxing his stance a little. 

"Yes," Rhoran replied grudgingly, sparing one last hateful glance at the boy. 

As the large hunter moved away to start looking for firewood to revive the flames, Corbin breathed a sigh of relief and turned back to the boy. 

"It's okay, kid, he's not gonna bother you anymore," Corbin said gently, kneeling by the child. 

"He said his name was Estel," Tyn offered as he edged closer. 

"Estel?" Corbin echoed. "Funny name." He reached out to touch Estel's shoulder but the boy immediately flinched away, crying out in the same, musical language as he did the night before. 

"_Tampa!_" he cried, turning his face away from the contact, before whispering softly, "_Tua amin, ada_!" 

"What did he say?" Tyn asked. Corbin shrugged. 

"It's Elvish," Dabryn offered. "Flawless."

"How do you know?" Tyn asked curiously, turning his eyes to the older man who shifted closer to Estel, who had turned his own eyes on the man as he approached. Fortunately, the look was of interest instead of fear. 

"_'Quel amrun_," he said to the boy, who's face immediately lit up. 

Estel sat bolt upright, turning his entire body to face the man as he started speaking rapidly in what seemed to be his native language. 

"Whoa kid! I don't know that much!" Dabryn held up his hand for the boy to stop. 

 The boy slumped dejectedly. He worked his jaw a little before finally producing words in the Common tongue of Men. 

"Let me go. Why do you keep me here?" he asked, though slowly, as if he were thinking very carefully how to say the words he wanted. 

"What were you doing in our camp, for one thing," a new voice interrupted. 

Estel swiveled his head to glare at the man he recognized as the one that had almost strangled him the night before. He drew his lips back in an animalistic snarl. "I wasn't doing anything wrong. I didn't take anything."

"Then what were you doing here?" Kendak asked. 

"I was leaving," Estel replied shortly. 

***

Aragorn was growing irritated with these hunters. He was glad that his father, Lord Elrond, hadn't allowed any into Rivendell. They seemed incredibly thick. 

"Leaving?" echoed the man who had almost strangled him. He gave a snort of derision. "Why were you in our camp?"

Aragorn thought for a moment, trying to remember the Common his father had been teaching him. He knew it for the most part, but almost no one in Rivendell spoke it on a regular basis, as there was no need. Everyone spoke Sindarin. Besides, he wasn't sure if he wanted to tell these people the real reason he was in their camp. 

The younger man, _Corbin_, Aragorn thought, tried a different tact. "Where do you live, kid?"

"Rivendell," Aragorn answered promptly. Now they were getting somewhere. "I want to go home."

"You mean you were traveling from Rivendell back home?" Tyn, the youngest asked. 

"No, I live in Rivendell, with Lord Elrond," Aragorn snapped irritably. "I was adopted."

Evidently, they didn't know what being adopted meant. They all exchanged puzzled looks. 

"My parents died when I was little. Elrond took me in," Aragorn explained. It was aggravating having to speak so slowly. He thought he might have had something when the older man had greeted him in Elvish, but that had been apparently all he knew of the language. 

A knowing nod was exchanged between the two older men, though Tyn seemed just as much out of the loop as Aragorn. 

"Ah," Kendak said somewhat uncomfortably. "Well, um, that explains a lot."

"Are you going to let me go home now?" Aragorn asked hopefully.

Kendak rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I've got a proposition for you, Estel. How about you come with us?"

Aragorn blinked. "My father will be looking for me. I wasn't supposed to be out in the first place."

"Why not?" Corbin asked, in the same cautious tone as Kendak. 

"He said it was dangerous." _And he was right. Mental note to self: Listen to Ada more often_…Aragorn thought wryly. 

"I see," Kendak said. He inhaled deeply, and it sounded like a regrettable sigh to Aragorn's ears. 

_This should be good_…Aragorn grumbled to himself. 

"Well, I hate to say this kid, but you're coming with us," Kendak stated firmly. 

Aragorn's jaw dropped, before stuttering out "No! Wait! I have to go home!" but it took until he saw Tyn and Corbin's confused looks that he had only managed an Elvish translation, but he couldn't help it. He shook his head frantically. "You don't understand!"

"What do you mean, we're just taking him with us?" Tyn asked, leaping to his feet. "That's kidnapping!" 

"I've seen this before. The Elves kidnap human children and raise them as their own. That way they grow to hate mankind, easy to manipulate against them."

"That's a lie!" Aragorn shouted, this time managing Common. 

"Maybe he's telling the truth," Tyn suggested desperately. 

"From his point of view, he _is_ telling the truth. He think those damned Elves are his family, when really they're probably the ones that murdered his human parents. He's just too young to remember it. We'll take him back with us, get 'im a proper family that wants a kid." Kendak paused for a moment. "But don't untie him. He'll make a break for it as soon as he gets a chance."

"I'll _kill_ you the first chance I get!" Aragorn shouted, but made sure this time it was in Elvish. 

"Gag him too. He'll let every damn Elf in the woods know we have him. Don't want to bring them down on us for stealing their little pet."

Aragorn twisted his head away from the gag as Corbin moved to pull it up from around his neck. "No!" he shouted, kicking his feet up and catching Corbin in the chest and propelling the man backward. Using his momentum, Aragorn rolled backwards, bringing his tied hands up underneath his feet so that they were now in front of him. He stayed in a crouch, not quite sure where he could run to without bumping into another Man. They seemed to come out of nowhere, even if there were just five. 

_Wait_…Aragorn quickly counted only four men. _Where's the big one_?

A stick snapped behind him and Aragorn managed to roll out of the way as Rhoran made a grab for him. Instead of tackling him like the big man had intended, he found himself face first in the dirt. His already short temper at being bested by the mere stick of a boy finally snapped and he whipped around. 

Aragorn could tell he was in trouble now, but he realized he didn't have time to get out of the way this time as the hulking man barreled down on him. He managed to block the first swipe with his bound hands, but the second caught him upside the head, sending his mind reeling. The third blow was to his stomach and he curled in on himself to protect his ribs. 

Vaguely, through the darkness that was threatening to overtake him, Aragorn heard someone shouting angrily, but couldn't make out the words. A cool hand touched his forehead and whispered something that sounded wrong; too garbled to have been something he should've understood. His last thought before allowing the darkness to claim him was _I have to get home_…

Hmm. Not quite how I was planning on making it, but it sort of came out that way. Again, I love feedback, even criticism. Aragorn will be getting a break next chapter, not to mention some time to get create a little trouble for his kidnappers. J If it seems like I am not putting to much effort into this, please, let me know and I'll try harder. Thanks to those who reviewed before! 


	3. Pell Mell Revised

Oh, someone pointed out to me that I should include English translations for the Sindarin I used…heh, sorry about that. For the previous chapters, translations follow thus:

_Tua amin, Ada _– help me, father

_Tampa _– stop

'_Quel amrun _– roughly translated "Good morning/day"

_Taruku _- ox

Okay, this isn't a new chapter, but a fixed one. I've decided to change the plotline a little, just to be a little nicer (not to mention more reasonable) to poor Aragorn. Anyway, let me know what you guys think. Make more sense? Make less sense? As always, I was too lazy to get a beta, so if you see mistakes point them out in a review, and I'll change them in my original copy. As always, a pleasure doing business. J Have a happy!

Aragorn could feel the ground beneath him shifting as he slowly regained consciousness. For a moment, he couldn't figure out where he was, or how he'd gotten there. He now knew he was on a horse, and someone was holding him upright, but that was all he could tell. He tried to open his mouth, but found a wad of cloth firmly bound around his mouth. Suddenly, memory came crashing down around him as he realized where he was and his eyes snapped open. He found himself looking up at the face of a man he remembered being named Corbin and without thinking, rolled himself away from the perceived threat. He grunted as his body collided with the ground several feet below him. Right…forgot about that whole being on a horse thing.

"Hey, stop guys!" Corbin shouted to the head of the line of packhorses.

Aragorn didn't move from where he landed, waiting for the world to shift into focus before trying anything more drastic than lying perfectly still. However, the tilting world before him didn't prevent him from rolling away from the hand that touched his shoulder. He immediately pulled his hands up in front of his face, warding off any attack.

"Whoa kid…not gonna hurt you…" the man assured, holding his hands palm out to show he had no weapons.

Aragorn glared at him and scooted further back until he hit a tree. He folded his arms as best he could with his wrists bound together and would've stuck out his tongue if he had not been wearing a gag. He didn't care if he was acting like the child his older brothers, Elladan and Elrohir, constantly accused him of being. If these people were still intent on kidnapping him, he would make sure they thought long and hard about how worthwhile their hassle would be.

Corbin laughed at the boy, who was obviously no longer scared of them, but resolved to stay right where he was. "Okay, I understand. Not much worth in what I say, considering how well you've been treated."

Aragorn tugged at the gag around his mouth and managed to slip it down around his throat. "I want to go _home_," he stated vehemently.

"We're taking you home," Corbin reassured. He knew the others were watching him now, trying to gauge how much of a problem this child was going to be.

"Not your home, _taruku_," Aragorn spat. "_My _home. I want to go back to Rivendell."

"Look, kid, I know you think they're your family, but they're not. You're not even the same race," Corbin pointed out.

"I was adopted!" Aragorn protested. "Not kidnapped! _This_ is kidnapping! I know the difference!" As his temper flared, Aragorn noted with a slight hint of amazement, his Common didn't sound nearly as accented. If one good thing could come of it, perhaps his language skills would improve. Ada always said he was a fast learner.

Corbin looked slightly ashamed when Aragorn brought up the fact that he thought of this as kidnapping.

The apparent leader of the band, Kendak (if memory served him properly), had turned his horse around from the head of the line and now stood towering over the youngster. "Look, kid, you belong amongst your own kind. Whether you were 'adopted' or not. You're human, like it or not, and you should grow up with your own kin. Now stop acting like a brat and come quietly."

Aragorn couldn't prevent the almost animalistic snarl of contempt that escaped his lips.

"I won't hesitate to have you gagged…and blindfolded," Kendak warned.

"You do so well at convincing me 'my kind' are worth spending the time with," Aragorn muttered hatefully underneath his breath.

The boy allowed himself to be picked up once more by Corbin, though went completely limp in his grasp, giving about as much help as a corpse.

Corbin grunted under the effort of trying to lift the kid dead weight.

"By the stars, kid, how can someone so small weigh so damn much?" he asked, finally managing to wrestle the kid onto the front of the saddle. However, as soon as he let go of the boy's shirt to swing himself into the saddle, the boy started sliding back off the other direction.

"Hey! You're gonna break you neck!" Corbin scolded, shifting Estel back into place. He looped the boy's tied wrists around the pommel, hoping that the threat of two dislocated shoulders would discourage him from falling off again.

Estel sat up straighter in his seat, frowning slightly at his new predicament as Corbin swung up behind him.

"Are you done fooling around?" Rhoran asked impatiently.

"We're set," Corbin called back to the head of the line.

As they started forwards, Estel fell limply forwards, collapsing over the horse's neck.

"You can misbehave all you want, kid, we're still taking to back with us," Corbin stated matter-of-factly.

Estel muttered something in the strange language he kept using into the horse's ear. The chestnut flicked its ear backwards, listening carefully to the young boy.

"Oh, isn't that cute…the little savage can talk to animals," Rhoran snorted, dropping back in the line so he was now behind Corbin and Estel.

Estel shot a dirty look at Rhoran over his shoulder. He clenched his teeth together and let out a shrill whistle, leaning forwards as he did so and grabbing onto the pommel with both hands as all the horses reared on their hind legs, trying to throw their riders to the ground.

Corbin's horse bolted, slamming into Kendak's big gray as they thundered past, with Corbin barely clinging to the reins.

As he shouted in alarm, lurching forwards and instinctively grabbing the boy around the waist, he could hear Estel laughing, urging the horse on.

Corbin hauled on the reins, but they pulled short and the horse didn't slow as they continued to gallop down the path. A branch that brushed over Estel's head caught Corbin full in the face, almost knocking him loose once more.

_Why isn't the horse slowing down_? Corbin thought desperately, pulling harder on the reins. He ducked as a particularly low branch whipped overhead and caught sight of his problem: Estel had wrapped the reins around pommel, rendering them entirely useless. He was guiding the horse simply by touch and his voice, which was still uttering that strange, musical language.

"Stop the horse!" Corbin shouted. "Estel, stop the horse!" Corbin knew this path well. In a few turns, they were going to hit a particularly overgrown section of the trail. Huge tree roots crisscrossed into a tangled mess that a horse would be lucky to get around at a walk, let alone a full gallop.

Estel ignored his plea however, and continued to whisper fervently to the horse.

"Estel! The path up ahead isn't safe!" Corbin tried again, this time trying to grab the reins further up, beyond where they were secured to the saddle.

Estel elbowed him hard in the stomach, knocking the air from his lungs temporarily, hissing something at him.

"Stop the -" Corbin's demand was cut short as Estel suddenly shouted a familiar word: _"Tampa!_"

The horse suddenly braced its legs, skidding along the dirt trail several feet before coming to a complete stop, sides heaving and nostrils flared.

Corbin cautiously looked over Estel's shoulder, and heaved a sigh of relief. They had missed the roots by a few spare inches. "Jeez, kid, you scared me."

Suddenly, Estel started laughing. Not the tense giggling of someone who had barely avoided death, but that of someone who had just had the greatest time of his life. For the first time since they met him, Estel was smiling. Not a tiny smile, but a beaming one that engulfed his whole face.

Corbin couldn't help himself. Estel's laughter was contagious. He released his death grip around the boy's waist, leaning back in the saddle. "Stars, you almost scared me to death."

Estel suddenly stopped laughing, turning his head to the side as if listening for something.

Corbin tensed. "What?" he whispered. Then he heard it. The distant pounding of shod hooves beating down the path after them. "Oh, that's just the others, no need to worry…" The man trailed off. The look of desperation and longing on Estel's young face was almost heart-breaking and Corbin wondered if they really _were_ doing the "right" thing by this kid.

The boy's exuberant attitude deflated like a balloon someone stabbed with a pin, his shoulders slumping forwards and his smile pressing into a firm line.

"Look, it really will be all right, you'll see. You'll like the village," Corbin said, not sure who he was trying to convince.

Estel stared off to the side of the trail, his silver eyes unblinking. "If I stay in the village, how will Ada and El know where I am?"

"Who?"

"My father and brothers…how will they know where I am?"

The others were fast approaching, they would be there any minute.

"I'll tell them," Corbin said. "What's your father's name?"

"You promise you'll tell them?" Estel asked warily.

"I promise."

Estel took a deep breath. "My father is Lord Elrond, master of Rivendell."

Corbin's insides felt like they had turned to ice. _This is Lord Elrond's child? _He knew Estel had said Elrond had adopted him, but somehow that didn't register in Corbin's mind that the Lord of Imladris had raised the boy as his son.

"You'll tell him?" Estel asked, his eyes desperately searching the man's own.

"There you are!" Tyn's voice called. "We were beginning to think you would never stop!"

"I promise," Corbin whispered, before turning in his seat to face the others as the came round the bend.

"Why didn't you stop sooner?" Kendak demanded angrily. "We must've chased you about half a mile!"

"Sorry," Corbin said, "I dropped the reins. He pulled the horse to a stop." He nodded in the direction of Estel, who stared back at him quizzically.

"That little runt pulled _your _horse out of a head run?" Rhoran said skeptically. Corbin's horse was one of the more mule-headed of the horses in the group, and was known for taking the bit in his mouth and running with it.

Corbin shrugged. "Like you said, he talks to animals."

Kendak eyed his second-hand man wearily. "Right…well, let's get moving. I want to make it to Falling Waters by tonight."

Corbin waited, his eyes downcast, as the other rode by him to take the lead. He knew what they were doing was wrong, but to go against Kendak? More importantly, Rhoran? Not for the first time, Corbin cursed himself for being a coward.

That night, as they were setting up camp, Dabryn stuck the bound Estel off to the side of the campsite so he would be out of the way while they were pitching tents. On Rhoran's insistence, he tied the boy's hands behind him, staking them firmly to the ground.

Corbin kept staring off into the distance, biting his thumbnail, as he was wont to do whenever he was nervous.

"Corbin?" Tyn asked, gently laying his hand on his friend's shoulder. "Are you alright?"

"Hmm?" Corbin blinked. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just…thinking."

Tyn gave him a look that clearly stated "_Well, duh_."

Corbin sighed. "Does Estel look familiar to you?"

Tyn raised an eyebrow and glanced over at the boy, who was flat on his back staring up at the canopy. "A little, but I don't know why. Maybe he just has one of those faces."

"He looks like Adelle's boy," Corbin stated firmly. "Marcus's son."

Tyn shrugged. "I was just a kid when Marcus's son was killed. I don't remember him that well. What does that have to do with anything?"

"Kendak was the boy's godfather. He took it pretty hard, losing him that way. Lady Adelle took it worse. Just sort of holed up inside herself, not caring about much of anything, and started to waste away. Poor Marcus had his heartbroken…he'd lost his son and now it looks like he's losing his wife. Kendak always thought there was nothing to be done about it…but then…"

"We found Estel," Tyn finished quietly, feeling his stomach drop. "Corbin, how much like Galen does Estel look?"

"Almost a spitting image. Galen had his mother's eyes, and his father's dark hair." Corbin ran a hand through his hair and over his face. "I want to let the poor kid go. I've never seen a kid more miserable in my life…but then I think of Lady Adelle, and Marcus, who have suffered so much. Estel _could _be happy with them, but…" Corbin trailed off. "Why does the right thing have to be so complicated?"

Aragorn wasn't paying much attention to the camp, his focus on the tawny rabbit that had hopped up next to him a moment ago, oblivious to the men invading his space.

"I wish I could be ignored by _them_ so easily," Aragorn muttered to himself. He had slipped back into Sindarin after his brief conversation with Corbin.

Aragorn glanced up to see where Corbin was, curious whether he could somehow ensure he would tell both the El's and his father where he was. He had never been gone from home for so long. Elladan was going to pound him, once he was through fussing.

He caught sight of the man talking to his younger friend on the other side of the camp, both glancing in his direction with worried looks on their faces.

Aragorn didn't have too much time to worry about it; setting up was done, and Dabryn ambled over to unstake him from near his tree, moving him closer to the fire.

When Tyn and Corbin joined the group for dinner, they wouldn't even look at him. Aragorn was beginning to think he had somehow offended Corbin when he asked him to speak with his father. For what seemed like the millionth time, he cursed his inability to understand his own race.

Rhoran was a different story however. The large hunter kept his eyes on him at all time, watching every move he made, a dangerous glint in his eyes. Subconsciously, Aragorn shifted away from the heated stare, accidentally bumping into Dabryn.

He jumped when the elderly man laughed at his startled look.

"Don't worry kid, I ain't gonna bite," he said, smiling. He moved over slightly to allow Aragorn room on the fallen log he was sitting on.

Aragorn gave a tentative smile back, carefully sitting on the edge so he didn't touch the man as he continued to silently observe the camp.

_I want to go home_…he thought miserably.

Excerpt from MST3K Fellowship:

Aragorn: We should not go under the mountain. No. Never. Baaaaaad idea. Trust me, it'll be much better freezing to death than burning to death in the grip of a fiery hell-demon.

Gandalf: We shall ask the ring bearer.

Frodo: Let's go under it!

Aragorn: What the hell? Why do you insist that I 'embrace my destiny as hope of mankind' when you never listen to me? I tell you 'don't go under the mountain! Bad idea!' and what do we do? We go under the fcking mountain. First act as 'King' I'm giving the midget the crown.


	4. Telling Lies in Rivendell

Author's Note: First off, thanks to SakuraSun for finding all my typos in _all_ my chapters. J You want a job as a beta? As for the animosity towards Elves, I'll explain…later. And, yes, I will most likely being going into the lovely world of angst, but if any of you readers are die-hard _true_ angst fans, you might not like my version of it. I have a compulsive habit to add in sarcastic little remarks to half the serious lines. Oh, and you were right. I did miss a translation from the first chapter: _Saes_ please.

New translation: _amin naa wanwa_ - a horrible conjugation of the phrase "I am lost."

"Hey, kid, you want some food?" Dabryn asked, holding out a plate to Aragorn.

It smelled delicious…a little more crude than what he was used to, but he wasn't about to complain since he hadn't eaten since he was home. Aragorn stared at the plate, trying to figure out how to grasp it with tied hands and not spill everything on the ground.

"Looks like he's not hungry after all, Dab," Rhoran noted from the opposite side of the fire ring.

"Shut up, Rhoran," Tyn snapped. "He just can't grab it with his hands tied up like that."

It was true. While they were no longer bound behind him, the ropes fit snugly over his hands so they rested atop one another, not side to side.

"I promise I won't run," Aragorn said hopefully, holding out his hands to Dabryn, who looked over to Kendak.

"Come on, boss," Dabryn said, "we don't want the poor kid to starve to death, do we?"

"Untie his hands, but make sure if he tries to make a break for it, you can catch him," Kendak answered around a mouthful of stew.

As soon as Tyn had pulled off the ropes, Rhoran shoved the younger boy out of the way, grabbing the rope from him. "Give me that. You'll tie it too loose."

He bent down and looped the rope roughly around Aragorn's ankles, making sure that he couldn't even shift his feet.

"There," Rhoran said smugly, "that oughta do it."

"Yeah. Ten year old kid is gonna be a _real_ threat if he can actually move," Corbin muttered. "Anyone ever accuse you of being paranoid?"

Rhoran shot the younger man a scathing look, but didn't comment.

Aragorn couldn't have cared less - he had _food_. Of course, now that he thought about it, he also didn't have any silverware. A knife was probably out of the question, considering Rhoran's continued paranoia that someone half his size was going to berserk and kill them all with a shoelace. A spoon, on the other hand…

Aragorn carefully cleared his throat, "Um, could I possibly have a spoon?"

"What do you need a spoon for?" Rhoran demanded, slurping loudly from his bowl, which he had pressed to his lips.

Aragorn tried not to cringe at the lack of manner, but still didn't hide the slight curled lip of disgust. _Disgusting. Ada would have a _fit_ if I ate like that, and I'm not even thirteen._

Rhoran caught the look of disgust and lowered his bowl. "You got a problem with the way we eat, boy?"

"And you accuse me of being raised by savages. What were your parents, wolves?" Aragorn shot back. "Only the dogs in Rivendell slurp out of the bowls like that, and even _they're_ quieter."

Tyn almost choked on his soup trying not to laugh.

Tyn tried to cover his smile behind his own bowl, sipping quietly at the soup as Estel insulted Rhoran's manners. _His Common seems to be improving_, he thought in amusement.

"You're saying I'm no better than a dog?" Rhoran asked, his voice dropping to a hiss.

"No, I'm saying you're _worse_," Estel said, jutting out his chin defiantly.

"Kid, don't go making things worse for yourself," Dabryn tried to caution the boy. He'd already had a taste of what Rhoran was capable of when he lost his temper, and that was just the tip of the iceberg.

Apparently, that was the wrong thing to say.

"_Worse_?" Estel shrieked. "How can it possibly get any _worse_? I was _supposed_ to be back yesterday afternoon, you kidnapped me under the ridiculous idea that was under some delusion by Lord Elrond, who, by the way, is probably tearing Rivendell apart looking for me, and I'm stuck here, tied to a stake because you think I'm going to kill you with a pine cone, and expect me to be grateful for your 'hospitality'!" To emphasize his point, Estel grabbed the bowl and hurled it at Rhoran, causing the hot soup to splatter on his face. As the giant of a man howled in pain, leaping to his fit trying to wipe the scalding liquid away from his face.

Dabryn and Corbin jumped to their feet, trying to catch Rhoran enough to wipe away the burning soup and keep him away from the fire as Tyn sat, staring dumbly at the chaos. He didn't even notice when Estel darted forwards and grabbed the partially burnt stick Dabryn had used to stoke the fire from time to time out of the embers where it had been slowly smoldering. Using the glowing red embers on the tip of the stick, Estel stabbed downwards through the ropes binding his feet, burning and breaking through them.

Kendak made a grab for the boy, but Estel swatted his hand away with the glowing tip of the stick, singeing the man's hand. As Kendak jerked his hand back with a quick bark of pain, Tyn noticed Estel's expression change from fury to regret, back to grim determination. With one final glance at Kendak and the howling Rhoran, Estel flung the burning stick into the group of tents not far away before bolting from the campsite.

Aragorn jumped the fallen logs and gear in his way, steadily making his way towards the horses, but stopped short in dismay and mentally kicked himself. The horses, tied on the tree line, were saddle-less, and to a twelve-year-old who was already short for his age, they might as well have been oliphants.

Veering off to the side and down the trail the clumsy men had made through the tall grass of the clearing off the main trail to get to the campsite, Aragorn frantically tried to come up with a plan. He knew what he'd done to Kendak and Rhoran was wrong, and he felt a little guilty about burning the leader's hand, but only a little. Rhoran he actually wasn't all that sorry at all. He stumbled onto the main trail, glancing first left, than right.

Aragorn cursed in frustration. He didn't actually remember which way they had entered from, because for the last few miles of the journey, he was thinking of home instead of where he was going. That was why he wanted the horses in the first place: they probably knew their way back without a problem, and once they got to the point Aragorn remembered, he could've sent the horse back.

No, wait.

Aragorn sunk to the ground, fighting back tears of anger and frustration. He didn't know the road back to Imladris and his family. The hunters had knocked him unconscious for at least a few hours during the journey. He was days away from any part of the woods he knew, and had no idea how to get back. Which meant that when the hunters came looking for him, he'd have nowhere to go, and he had no illusions that they would ever let him go now after what he'd done in the campsite. He would be lucky if they didn't kill him outright to save themselves hassles further down the road.

Aragorn rubbed furiously at his eyes, sniffing softly. Well, if they were going to kill him, they'd have to catch him first. At least he knew enough from his brothers that if he was already lost, he would become even more lost if he just bolted aimlessly into the woods. Glancing upwards, Aragorn picked one of the larger trees before scrambling upwards a good thirty feet, separating himself from anyone beneath him that might want to try and shoot him down rather than climb after him with a net of concealing branches. "_Amin naa wanwa_," he whispered, as tears stung his eyes once more.

Tyn had quietly slipped away from the campsite while Corbin and Dabryn had seen to the mild burns on Kendak's hand and Rhoran's face. Truth be told, Rhoran's pride was much more damaged than his slightly pink face. The burn couldn't be much worse than a mild sunburn. He was more worried about Estel, that he'd take the wrong path or worse, stumble on something much bigger than he was in the dark. Which, given Estel's current size, could be anything larger than a stray dog.

His keen eyes picked out the boy's stumbling trail and saw a movement in the shadows beneath the boughs of one of the highest trees. Even from here he could here the somewhat stifled sobs the boy emitted. Stopping just short of the base of the tree, Tyn cautiously looked up, remembering what even such a young boy was capable of in anger.

"Estel?" he called softly, knowing the boy could hear him. Abruptly, the sniffling stopped and Tyn could see movement in the branches as Estel scurried higher.

The boy sort of reminded Tyn of a squirrel.

"Estel, I just wanted to talk to you. You don't have to talk back, just listen. I know we haven't been the best of people to you…we've probably been the worst, actually. I just…" Tyn paused, already feeling guilty for what he was going to do. "Estel, have you ever met people before? Humans?"

"No," came a cautious reply.

"I know we haven't been model hosts, and going further from Rivendell is probably the last thing on your mind. Especially with us." Tyn drew in a steadying breath. "But I really, honestly think you should come to the town with us. We're not that bad, on a whole. Rhoran is just mean spirited and doesn't like anything smarter than him. Which, between you and me, is pretty much everything, including pine needles. And Kendak's not so bad either, not when you get to know him. He's just…he lost someone very close to him and he's never really been the same, you know?"

A faint rustling in the branches told Tyn Estel was coming out of his hiding place.

"I mean, wouldn't you _like_ to meet someone like you? There are other kids in the village, some even younger than you. Haven't you ever wished for someone your own age to play with? You wouldn't even have to stay, if you don't want to. We go back to the Rivendell border in two weeks time, and if you still want to go…home…we can take you back with us. No tricks. We won't tie you up again, and you can ride with me or Corbin if you want to. You wouldn't have to worry about Rhoran anymore."

Estel had climbed down several feet, but was still out of reach, perched in the branches and studying Tyn carefully with serious eyes. "What about Ada? And my brothers? How will they know where I am? I meant what I said when I told the others they were probably tearing Rivendell apart looking for me."

"We'll send a messenger to them as soon as we reach the village. We're closer now that it would be faster than turning around and going back," Tyn explained. He could kick himself. Kendak would never let Estel return. Not once the Lady Adelle saw him. Somehow this felt worse than kidnapping the poor boy in the first place. "We'll reach the village late tomorrow, just after nightfall. You'll have a place to stay. I know a really nice family that would be more than happy to have you for the fortnight." _Or forever_.

Estel slid a little further down the tree. "Are there really children in the village? Human children?"

"Lots. You'll love them, they're all really nice. So are their families."

"You won't tie me up? And you'll let me come with you when you return to Rivendell?" Estel pressed.

Tyn swallowed. "I swear." _I'm going to hell_. "So what say we go back to the camp, huh? Rhoran's probably in is tent, assuming that wasn't the one you set on fire with that stick of yours. And Corbin has first watch tonight."

Tyn half-hoped the boy would stay in the tree, but, even though he hated himself for it, he wanted Estel to return to the village with them. He knew Marcus's wife well, and remembered how she used to smile until she lost Galen. She was a sweet, beautiful woman, and Tyn knew she deserved to be happy, along with her husband. He knew how much it hurt them to see the other children in the town, running and laughing when their own son was dead.

__

Estel will like it there, Tyn said to himself furiously. _He might even forget about the Elves._

As Estel slowly climbed down the last few feet of the tree and landed quietly beside him, wide silver eyes watching him trustingly, Tyn had to bite his lip to keep his mouth shut as he led the boy back to the camp and away from his family.

__

I am so_ going to hell_.

And tada! A chapter in a day! Hmm…tells you how much I hate housework, doesn't it? Anyway, drop me a line. Viggomaniac, you said you got an update e-mail for chapter three and assumed it meant this one. I actually revised the last part of chapter three, so it coincides more with this chapter. You might want to reread like the last few paragraphs between Tyn and Corbin, just to make sure.


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